mcdonald.kk

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a 20 gallon aquarium kit and have been researching which fish to get. I have been an avid fan of plecos but have not had the money to buy a 55gal + tank to house the 'regularly' sized plecos. I've been researching the smaller plecos and came across Clown Plecos (Peckoltia pulcher). Aside from having just a pleco in the tank I wanted to get some other fish as well, a pair of dwarf gouramis and some danios. The problem is that the danios are schooling fish and they each reach 3" I don't want to overstock my tank. Would dwarf gouramis, danios, and a clown pleco get along ok together? If so, how many danios do I need for them to be happy together but not overstock my tank? I know that some plecos don't eat algae as much as others, would the clown pleco help keep the algae down? (I know that even the algae eating plecos need their diet supplemented too--I wouldn't want the cute little guy to go hungry!) If you don't think the clown pleco would eat enough of the tank algae would a gold inca snail be an appropriate addition? I also noticed that while the dwarf gouramis and danios have similar housing requirements (they both are from India/the subcontinent) plecos are from S. America and the lower threshold for a clown pleco's temperature requirements is the upper recommended limit for Danios (75 F). Is this a problem? My final question is, should I be concerned about the ethical aspects of getting a clown pleco?. It doesn't look like we have been successful in getting them to breed in captivity. I don't really want to order a fish that will be taken out of its natural habitat just so that I can add it to my living room. Is this true of all plecos? Or are there other, smaller sized plecos available that come from breeders and not the wild? If there aren't any could someone give me a recommended algae eater that is captive bred and would be happy with dwarf gouramis, danios, and maybe a snail? I know this is a really long post but I want to make sure that I make responsible decisions for my aquarium so that my fish will be happy and healthy. Thank you so much for any help you can give me.
-KK

Bibby100

Hi, I got a 56 litre aquarium for Christmas.

In it I have got; 1 Pleky, 2 Catfish, 16 Neon Tetras, 2 Glow Light Neons and 2 Mollies. They all seem happy.

They have a temperature of 23C and a pH of 8.0.

Sorry that its not alot. But, hope that it can help.

Bibby100

mcdonald.kk

Thanks for the feedback Bibby =)

Barbrella

Just one problem: Two dwarf gouramis in a 20 gallon tank will probably fight since they're territorial.

One would be better, with a school of maybe 6 danios.

This clown pleco lives nearly exclusively on algae, so a constant supply in a 20 gal tank is going to be difficult to provide.

You might be better off with a bristlenose pleco. Sp.3 is very hardy, will eat all the algae, will accept a wide range of veggies and wafers and are great community fish. You could even get two, since they may squabble a bit but do no injury to each other.

Lots of plants, rocks, driftwood, and hiding places are a necessity for these small plecos.

mcdonald.kk

Thanks for the pointers. Just out of curiosity, how big of a pleco can I put in a 20 gal. aquarium?

susitna-flower

I think a 20 gallon tank would be fine for ONE clown pleco, you wouldn't want more than one anyway, because they are territorial, and especially at feeding time will be aggressive with each other.

Problem with the above advice is that they are NOT primarily algae eaters. They do eat algae, and this can be supplemented with algae wafers, but they are WOOD eaters, so need driftwood, and a constant supply of it. You may have to replace it if they devour to much. As a wood eater, they produce a lot of waste, and this requires good filtration on the tank.

I would think a better choice for a small school of fish would be cardinal tetras. 6-9 would be a nice mid tank addition. They can stand higher temperatures, and add lots of color.

susitna-flower

Nothing that will grow more than 4-5 inches. I have a Royal pleco and that would be TOPS for a 20 gallon, and really a 55 would be better for them.

This is why the clown would be ok, they say 25-30 gallon tank is best, but that minimum is 15 gallons for one fish. Inch wise though you could still have a small school to give interest.

By the sound of it a clown requires lots of hiding places, and you may not see much of it.

mcdonald.kk

Thanks for all of the input guys, it really helps.

Barbrella

The problem is that there are two kinds of fish commonly called Clown Pleco. The one the OP named, the Peckoltia pulcher, IS an algae eater.

susitna-flower

You are so right Barbrella, just didn't watch close enough!

Bibby100

Hi again. It's ok. Just one other thing while it's in my head! Don't have 2 male siamease fighters!

Allie

My clown and blue phantom plecos can't be together without bickering. The phantom is much more aggressive. As cute as my clown pleco, Stripey is...she is very shy compared to my others.

Bibby100

I have got about a two inch Pleky. So in a tank your size I would say 4 -5 Inches depending on what other fish you would like as well.

Don't take my word for it. That's just what I'd do!

Bibby100

Narcicius

Get the bristlensoe they are just cool looking easy to feed and passive, and just get female gouramis and you should be fine. Didn't have time to read all the posts so sorry if I repeated a lot.